Acentor Garnacha
"offers up a deep, ripe and nicely complex nose...A great, great value" —
John Gilman, View from the Cellar
Appellation
Calatayud D.O.
Grape(s)
100% Garnacha, from 50+ year-old, bush vines
Altitude/Soil
750-900 meters / iron-rich red clay with abundant surface stones
Farming Methods
Traditional methods
Harvest
Hand harvested into small boxes
Production
Destemmed grapes were fermented in cement tanks
Aging
Aged for 5 months in used, 50% French and 50% American oak barrels
Suggested Retail Price
$15
Acentor Garnacha
2011
89+ (I-WR) 89 (IWC) ** (WP)
| 89+ |
International Wine Review |
The 2011 Acentor Garnacha reveals a somewhat darker profile than the 2012. It displays a dark ruby color and aromas of plum, earth, slate/minerals and herbs. It is soft and round on the palate with good flavor intensity, a velvet mouth feel, soft tannins and a long finish.
Nov/Dec 2013 |
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| 89 |
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar |
Deep ruby. Spice-accented aromas of dark berries and cherry compote, with a hint of licorice in the background. Intensely fruity in the mouth, offering jammy blackberry and blueberry flavors and a touch of bitter chocolate. Closes smooth and broad, with good energy and lingering blue fruit notes.
Sept/Oct 2013 |
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| ** |
The Washington Post |
Score: ** Stars (Excellent)
Spicy berry flavors are typical of good, inexpensive Spanish garnacha, and this wine delivers them, along with smoky earthiness for added interest. Not a particularly complex wine, just a really fun one. Another hit from sommelier-turned-importer Aurelio Cabestrero.
April 3, 2013 |
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Acentor Garnacha
2016
90 (WRO) 89+ (VfC)
| 90 |
Wine Review Online |
With an additional year of aging by comparison to Garnacha wines from the 2017 vintage, this shows slightly toned-down fruit and modestly tuned-up savory notes, but is still full of fruity fun. Red berry tones join cherry flavors, and the soft tannins lend a bit of backbone without imparting any astringency or hardness to the finish. In a word: Yum.
Michael Franz - "Go with Garnacha for Thanksgiving" Nov. 19, 2018 |
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| 89+ |
View from the Cellar |
The Acentor bottling from Isaac Fernandez has been a consistently well-made bottle of garnacha since the first vintage I had the pleasure to try, which was the 2014. Readers may recall that this wine is produced from vines that are fifty-plus years of age, planted at an altitude of seven hundred and fifty to nine hundred meters above sea level, with the soils composed of iron rich clay. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts in cement tanks and aged in a combination of French and American casks. The 2016 comes in listed at the same 14.5 percent octane as the 2015, and this seems just a tad on the low side to my palate in this vintage. Nevertheless, the wine is another very good value, offering up a deep and complex nose of baked raspberries, a touch of fruitcake, hung game, garrigue, a fine base of soil tones and plenty of spices in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and really quite well balanced for its octane, with a good core of fruit, impressive soil signature, moderate tannins, impressive nascent complexity and a long, ever so slightly heady finish. I liked the 2015 vintage here just a tad better, but this too is a serious wine that delivers an awful lot of complexity for its extremely reasonable price point! 2018-2030.
Issue #75 – May/June 2018 |
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Acentor Garnacha
2017
90 (I-WR) 88 (WS) 88 (VfC)
| 90 |
International Wine Review |
This 100% Garnacha from 50+ year-old bush vines is slate-like with a dark cherry , berry and peppery nose. It is soft on the attack with medium acidity and finishes dry and slightly astringent. Aged 7 months in French and American oak.
"Spanish Wines of Value and Quality" - June 20, 2019 |
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| 88 |
Wine Spectator |
Fresh cherry and berry flavors mingle with light herb and licorice notes in this round, tender red. Light tannins and juicy acidity keep this focused and fresh. Fruit-centered, but with nice subtlety. Drink now through 2024. 1,500 cases made, 800 cases imported.
Tasting Highlights, 8 Spanish Values for $25 or Less
March 5, 2020 |
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| 88 |
View from the Cellar |
The 2017 Acentor is another fine vintage of Garnacha from this consistently strong estate. The wine is ripe and nicely balanced, offering up a deep nose of black raspberries, bonfire, dark soil tones, spit-roasted game, coffee grounds and a bit of spice in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and plush at the core, with a good touch of meatiness and spice, good focus and grip, moderate tannins and just a whisper of backend heat perking up the long finish. This is listed at 14.5 percent, but carries its octane very well and is a tasty example of old vine grenache made without any makeup in the cellar. Good juice in a riper style. 2022-2040.
Issue # 85 - January/February 2020 |
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Acentor Garnacha
2018
90 (WB) 90 (VM) 88+ (VfC)
| 90 |
Washington Wine Blog |
From Calatayud, this shows smoky tones that combine with the core of red fruits on the nose. The palate has a good degree of freshness with sour red fruits that dance with minerals and smoky undertones. I really like the combination of tension and weight here, as this excellent value wine is best enjoyed over the next five years. Drink 2020-2025.
Dr. Owen J. Bargreen, CS - July 2020 |
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| 90 |
Vinous Media |
Brilliant ruby-red. Ripe red fruits and a subtle floral note on the nose and in the mouth. Smooth and accessible in style, showing good heft and no rough edges. Finishes supple and broad, with rounded tannins and a lingering raspberry note. 2021 – 2023
Josh Raynolds; February 2021 |
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| 88+ |
View from the Cellar |
The 2018 Acentor Garnacha is produced from vines in excess of fifty years of age. Like the Legado del Moncayo version, the soils here are clay and iron, with plenty of stones. The wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in a combination of older French and American barrels for seven months prior to bottling. The 2018 vintage here delivers a fine bouquet of red and black raspberries, bonfire, grilled meats, a bit of pepper, a good base of soil and a bit of lavender in the upper register. On the palate the wine is ripe, full-bodied and nicely balanced, with a good core, ripe tannins and a long, complex and focused finish. This is fine juice and, once again, really a stellar value! 2020-2035+.
Issue #86 - March/April 2020 |
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Acentor Garnacha
2019
92 (VfC) 90 (VM) 89 (WS)
| 92 |
View from the Cellar |
The 2019 vintage of Garnacha from Acentor is excellent on both the nose and palate, as these old, bush vines have really excelled. The bouquet is deep and complex, wafting from the glass in a blend of crushed raspberries, dark berries, smoked meats, hickory smoke, a fine base of stony soil tones, pepper and a spicy topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, ripe and complex, with a superb core of fruit, impressive soil signature and grip, ripe, well-integrated tannins and a long, very well-balanced finish. This is excellent. 2023-2050.
John Gilman - Issue #92 March/April 2021 |
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| 90 |
Vinous Media |
Deep magenta. Spice-accented dark berry, cherry and licorice aromas are complemented by suggestions of cola and mocha. Sweet and expansive in the mouth, offering plush blackberry and cherry cola flavors braced by an undercurrent of juicy acidity. Finishes smooth and long, with discreet tannins and repeating dark fruit and licorice notes. Aged in a 50/50 combination of used French and American oak barrels. 2021-2025
Josh Raynolds – July 6, 2021 Central Spain Additions |
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| 89 |
Wine Spectator |
A refreshing acidity is cast through the blackberry and juicy red plum notes of this medium-bodied red, with forest floor, olive and wild herb notes adding a savory appeal through the finish. Drink now through 2025. 2,500 cases made, 2,000 cases imported.
Gillian Sciaretta – November 15, 2021 |
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Acentor Garnacha
2020
91 (OB) 90 (OB) 89 (VfC)
| 91 |
OwenBargreen.com |
The 2020 Acentor Garnacha comes from over 50 year old bush vines that are set on iron rich clay, with some stony deposits. Bright citrus fruits collide with guava, cram-cherry and wintergreen flavors, with a strong acid backbone. Delicious, enjoy in its bright youth. Drink 2022-2027.
Owen Bargreen - July 20, 2022 |
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| 90 |
OwenBargreen.com |
2020 Acentor Garnacha- The great value 2020 Acentor Garnacha offers rich red currant and pomegranate seed flavors alongside good verve and blood orange zest notes. This is drinking beautifully now. Drink 2023-2028-
Owen Bargreen - October, 2023 |
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| 89 |
View from the Cellar |
I always like the Acentor bottling of Garnacha, which is made from high elevation, old bush vines, with the wine fermented in stainless steel and aged for four months in oak casks. The 2020 version comes in at 14.5 percent octane and delivers a lovely nose of raspberries, orange peel, garrigue, stony soil tones, bonfire, pepper and a lovely array of baking spice tones in the upper register. On the palate the wine is bright, ripe and full-bodied, with a good core of red fruit, fine transparency and grip, ripe, chewy tannins and good length and grip on the complex finish. This is good juice and a fine value (as always). 2025-2045.
John Gilman - Issue #98 March/April 2022 |
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Acentor Garnacha
2021
91 (OB) 89 (VfC)
| 91 |
OwenBargreen.com |
2021 Acentor Garnacha- The outstanding 2021 Acentor Garnacha delivers tar, allspice dusted red currants and cran-pomegranate aromatics. The palate is fresh and fat on the tongue, with a juicy core of citrus rind, freshly tilled salty soils and red fruits. Enjoy now. Drink 2024-2030-
Owen Bargreen - November 18, 2024 |
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| 89 |
View from the Cellar |
The 2021 Acentor bottling of Garnacha is another very good bottle and an excellent bargain. Readers may recall that this wine is made from high elevation, old bush vines, fermented in stainless steel and aged for only four months in oak. The 2021 Acentor again tips the scales at 14.5 percent alcohol and offers up a bouquet of baked raspberries. fruitcake, pepper, garrigue, a good base of soil, fresh herbs and a touch of cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and rock solid at the core, with good transparency and grip, chewy, ripe tannins and fine length on the complex finish. 2026-2045.
John Gilman - Issue #103 January/February 2023. |
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